07/02/2014

To celebrate my fourth blog-a-versary which I started on the Fourth of July in 2010, I am releasing my Blue Issue. I decided last night to just publish with what I had instead of adding more material. This one is 252 pages.

This issue is all about "blue" as a color and all its other attributes. The majority of the photos are taken in Paris with exception of two stories.

This magazine is sent by request only from private publication. You can receive it, free, of course, by signing up at the top right side of either the blog or website. If you are seeing this in a reader or RSS feed, click the bold headline of this post to take you over to Typepad to the original blog so you can see the little computer screen icon at the top right to sign up. The digital magazines are not open to the general public. It will be sent to you via Fire Drum, so if you have already signed up to see all my digital publications, make sure you check your spam folder.

The magazine is best viewed by clicking the double white arrows to expand to full screen so you can read the text better.

Hope you enjoy. If you missed former publications, just shoot me an email.

06/21/2014

The Josephine exhibit at Musee du Luxembourg ends June 29, so if you are in Paris, you have a week to see it before it ends. When I was in Paris at the first of June, I went to photo at Luxembourg Gardens and saw a poster on the fence and immediately knew I wanted to attend.The museum is at the front of the gardens - easy to find.

This portrait by Andrea Appiani, done in 1807 [age 44] when Napoleon ruled Italy. There are references in the painting to Italy, like where her hand is placed and Italy's colors.

I made a 46 page digital flip book on the exhibit. Click the link below to view. For full screen viewing click the double white arrows.

01/18/2014

After a delay of a month, my fourth digital issue is ready for viewing. This issue has 318 pages. I hope you will enjoy seeing it.

This issue is all about "greige" as a color and all its other attributes.

This magazine is sent by request only from private publication. You can receive it, free, of course, by signing up at the top right side of either the blog or website. If you are seeing this in a reader or RSS feed, click the bold headline of this post to take you over to Typepad to the original blog so you can see the little computer screen icon at the top right to sign up. The digital magazines are not open to the general public. It will be sent to you via Fire Drum, so if you have already signed up to see all my digital publications, make sure you check your spam folder.

The magazine is best viewed by clicking the double arrows to expand to full screen so you can read the text better.

I've been working on Issue Five - The Blue Issue and am about half done.

09/29/2013

I just finished my third digital magazine called The White Issue. It has lots of photos of Paris architectural elements in the color white. I hope you enjoy what I have put together for you this time.

This magazine is sent by request only from private publication. You can receive it, free, of course, by signing up at the top of either the blog or website. If you are seeing this in a reader or RSS feed, click the bold headline to take you over to Typepad to the original blog so you can see the little computer screen icon at the top right to sign up. The digital magazines are not open to the general public. It will be sent to you via Fire Drum, so if you have already signed up to see all my digital publications, make sure you check your spam folder.

04/30/2013

One of my favorite colors in Spring is orchid. I look forward to getting out the orchid linen tablecloth I made as soon as I get that Spring feeling. It is made out of linen dress fabric so I can wash it. I purchased eight yards of 58" wide fabric, cut it in half and sewed it down the middle. That way it will touch the floor on all sides of the table.

You have heard of "shopping your house" to redecorate with accessories you have put in storage, but I shopped my garage sale for this one. I had a garage sale Friday and everyone picked up these silverplate julep cups but nobody would buy them for $2. So I decided to keep them and use them for this week's dinner. I'm so glad I rescued them back into my stash. I think they were originally candle cups from Pottery Barn years ago and a few now have the brass showing through the plating. Guess that just gives them personality.

Here are five cups placed in the center of the table for a low arrangement that people can easily see over.

Before putting the flowers inside the cups, I placed a cube of Oasis in each cup, wedged in tight so it didn't float up, to hold the stems more firmly in place.

The flowers purchased at my local grocery store includes three types of Roses, a pale lavender one called Purple Haze, a pink and white one called Highlander and cluster spray Roses. I also used three types of Chrysanthemums, including Fugi.

For service plates, I am using hand painted garden scene plates by artist A. Rhodes. I do not know who that person was but the painting is expertly done. When I got them they had never been used and were in mint condition. I like guests to appreciate them, but I don't want them scratched with forks so use them to set the tone of the dinner only. It would be a shame to damage them at this stage.

Each of the 14 plates has a different scene, this one being two arbors in a garden. They are painted on Royal Brixton blanks.

This one has a walled garden.

This one has a sundial on top of a pedestal column.

Wider view of table.

Underneath the service plates are chargers by French maker J. Siegnolles in the perfect shade of orchid to go with the tablecloth.

View of the table with the chargers.

For salad plates I am using these vintage French Haviland scallop-edge plates with wells. I have no clue why such an elegant plate would have a well unless it is for salad dressing to drain down there. I don't think these are oyster plates. If you have seen these described in a Haviland reference book, I would love it if you would write to me and tell me what they said about this style. You might think the chargers are pink until you put pink with them and then you can see that they are orchid. I got a set of 14 of these plates with a large platter at an estate sale around 18 months ago. You know me, the china addict, I leave no china behind -- sort of like the federal government's program Leave No Child Behind. I just can't help myself when I find something this lovely in perfect condition.

Napkins by Sferra and napkin ring by Kim Seybert. Antique sterling flatware is Gorham's St. Cloud pattern. I was very fortunate to find knives as they usually didn't survive.

I'm using for dessert plates these signed hand painted English ones of Lilacs.

The paint used in the Lilacs is the perfect shade of orchid in the chargers.

Stemware left to right is Waterford's Colleen, William Yeoward's Flavia and white opaline goblet by French maker Portieux Vallerysthal.

On the console table is English transferware in that soft violet color that I think coordinates with the orchid theme.

Also, a reminder that if you would like to see my first digital magazine issue, sign up at either the top of this blog or my website at the very top. If you are on the blog in an email reader be sure to click the heading Tablescape: Loving the Color Orchid to take you over to the Typepad site so you can see the sign up box.

If you would like to read the feature on Swede in Coty Farquhar's April Styling issue, go here:

04/26/2013

Announcing my BIG news that I have put together a 182 page digital magazine.

The first issue is on Paris containing the photos Mr. Swede and I took there.

Sign up to see it in the box at the top of my blog or website. For the blog, be sure you are on my Typepad site and not in a reader to see the sign up box.

I will push the issue out next week.

As a precaution, I am not in the graphics art business and have no prior experience at making a magazine. I just decided to try it. I took a one-day class at my local computer school on the software. I definitely need more classes, but like blogging or anything else, the most important thing is to just start. With experience in doing these, I do hope to get better at it. Let me tell you, it was not easy. I just stumbled through it.

With that said, I am still proud of doing it. Take a look and see what you think. Below is the cover page.